The effect of geometrical asymmetry β (described by the length-diameter ratio of rods) on the rod-coil diblock copolymer phase behavior is studied by implementation of self-consistent field theory (SCFT) in three-dimensional (3D) position space while considering the rod orientation on the spherical surface. The phase diagrams at different geometrical asymmetry show that the aspect ratio of rods...

A carboxylic acid based reversible additionfragmentation transfer (RAFT) agent is used to prepare gels composed of worm-like diblock copolymers using two non-ionic monomers, glycerol monomethacrylate (GMA) and 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate (HPMA). Ionization of the carboxylic acid end-group on the PGMA stabilizer block induces a worm-to-sphere transition, which in turn causes immediate degelatio...

The morphology of a novel diblock copolymer, poly(norbornene methanol)-b-poly(norbornene dicarboxylic acid), was investigated before and after metal oxide doping by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) using a novel iodine vapor staining method to image the undoped polymer. A lamellar morphology was observed by TEM after staining the undoped diblock copolymer with iodine vapor. Thin film surf...

Directional attraction with lateral repulsion between colloidal nanoparticles can create their supracolloidal chains. Here, we demonstrate supracolloidal polymers of diblock copolymer micelles, which were polymerized by adjusting the polarity of the solvent. We also synthesized supracolloidal random and block copolymer chains.

RAFT aqueous emulsion polymerization of hydroxybutyl methacrylate using a poly(glycerol monomethacrylate) precursor leads to diblock copolymer spheres, worms or vesicles. A pseudo-phase diagram is constructed and the vesicles are briefly evaluated as Pickering emulsifier.

A diblock copolymer is designed to have incompatible blocks, unsymmetrical block lengths, and a reversible linkage. This copolymer self-assembles into nanostructured cylindrical morphology in thin films. Removal of the nanosized cylinders by breaking the reversible linkage then affords nanoporous membranes featuring a chemically reactive functionality in the pores.

Nanoparticles formed from diblock copolymers of FDA approved PEO and PCL have generated considerable interest as in vivo drug delivery vehicles. Herein, we report the synthesis of the most extensive family PEO-b-PCL copolymers that vary over the largest range of number-average molecular weights (Mn: 3.6-57k), PEO weight fractions (fPEO: 0.08-0.33), and PEO chain lengths (0.75-5.8k) reported to ...

Symmetric diblock copolymers self-assemble into lamellar microdomains which can be used to create line and space patterns on substrates by controlling the orientation of microdomains. Previously, it has been reported that the orientation of lamellar microdomains can be controlled perpendicular to the surface by modifying the substrate surface to become nonselective to each domain. For practical...

Phase separation of asymmetric diblock copolymer near surfaces in selective solvents is theoretically investigated by using the real-space version of self-consistent field theory (SCFT). Several morphologies are predicted and the phase diagram is constructed by varying the distance between two parallel hard surfaces (or the film thickness) W and the block copolymer concentration f(P). Morpholog...

Following our previous work on the solvent-response of uncharged diblock copolymer brushes (D. Meng and Q. Wang, J. Chem. Phys. 130, 134904 (2009)), we have performed continuum self-consistent field calculations to study the response (i.e., changes of brush height and surface-layer composition) of diblock brushes with only one block charged to various external stimuli, including solvent selecti...